I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

Inside the Peach Garden, wisps of mist rise, peach trees stretch endlessly, their branches laden with crystal-clear peaches—red, purple, and golden—radiating an alluring luster.

Sun Wukong sat on a nine-thousand-year-old peach tree, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hand, swinging his legs, and humming a little tune that no one knew: "Hey, this Ruyi Jingu Bang is much more handy than my old halberd!"

"That old Jade Emperor really knows how to please people! He appointed me as the head of the Peach Orchard and even gave me this treasure. Tsk tsk, I must repay him properly and guard this orchard flawlessly!"

He casually picked a nine-thousand-year-old peach that shimmered with purple light, took a bite, and its juices overflowed, releasing a fragrant aroma.

He smacked his lips and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, it tastes good, but it's a bit too sweet."

But the next second, he casually tossed the half-eaten peach aside. The peach arced through the air, landed on the ground with a thud, rolled twice, and got covered in dust.

Jiang Wangyin, hiding behind a peach tree in the distance, saw this scene, his lips twitched, and he couldn't help but mutter under his breath: "That good-for-nothing monkey!"

You think you can just throw away a 9,000-year-old peach?

What a waste!

A pang of heartache flashed in his eyes. Nine-thousand-year-old peaches were rare treasures, capable of transforming an ordinary cultivator with just one. Yet Sun Wukong treated them like candy, eating one and then throwing the other away.

He clenched his fists, thinking to himself, "No, I can't let this monkey ruin these peaches. I have to act quickly while he's being so arrogant here!"

With a thought, Jiang Wang gently plucked a hair, blew on it, and the hair transformed into three strong and sturdy warriors dressed in coarse cloth, carrying brooms and baskets, pretending to be busy under the peach tree near Sun Wukong.

One of the strongmen deliberately shouted loudly, "Hey, we'd better be careful with these peaches! The Jade Emperor said that if even one peach is missing from the garden, we'll all be in deep trouble!"

Another strongman chimed in, "That's right! I heard the zookeeper is a monkey, all clumsy and fidgety. We'd better not let him steal our food!"

The third strongman chuckled: "Don't worry, we're keeping an eye on things. If anyone dares to steal a peach, we'll report it immediately!"

Sun Wukong, sitting in the tree, heard this conversation, his ears twitched, and his face stiffened.

He scratched his cheek and muttered, "Hey, these guys are eyeing me, Old Sun."
Hmph, I'm the head of the kindergarten, what's wrong with me eating a few peaches?
However… it would be difficult to explain to the Jade Emperor, so I'd better keep a low profile.”

He glanced at the strongmen, reluctantly put away his golden cudgel, jumped down from the tree, and muttered, "Fine, fine, I'll go wander around somewhere else. This garden is huge, I need to patrol it properly!"

After saying that, he somersaulted and disappeared in a flash.

Seeing this, Jiang Wang breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gloated: "Hey, monkeys are really easy to fool. This feint attack was extremely effective!"

He flashed and silently arrived at the Nine Thousand Year Peach Garden.

The peach trees in this area are the most lush, with branches laden with purplish-gold peaches, each about the size of a fist, shimmering with a faint ethereal glow, and exuding a rich fragrance that makes one's mouth water.

Jiang Wang swallowed hard and murmured, "This taste... is a hundred times better than any spiritual fruit in the mortal world. No wonder it can improve cultivation!"

He reached out and plucked a peach. It was warm and smooth to the touch, like jade. He took a gentle sniff, and the fragrance soared to his head, making every pore on his body relax.

He couldn't wait to take a bite. The peach flesh melted in his mouth, and the sweet juice slid down his throat, turning into a warm current that flowed through his whole body.

Jiang Wang felt his spiritual power surge, and his previously sluggish meridians instantly became unobstructed. His cultivation even showed signs of a breakthrough.

His eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "Wow!"

A single peach helped me vaguely reach the threshold of the late Golden Immortal stage from the mid-stage.

These nine-thousand-year-old peaches truly live up to their reputation!

He closed his eyes and felt for a moment, and suddenly felt a lightness in his heart. The threat of the three calamities that had been weighing on his heart had disappeared without a trace.

He paused for a moment, then laughed: "Three calamities?"
What three calamities!
With these peaches of immortality here, who would fear the three calamities!
"System, this task is really a freebie!"

Jiang Wang ate with increasing enthusiasm, picking and eating as he went, yet his movements were incredibly light, as if afraid of disturbing anyone around him.

His mouth was stuffed with peach flesh, and he mumbled indistinctly, "Mmm...this one is sweet with a hint of sourness, absolutely amazing!"

Why does this one smell a bit like flowers?

Wow, a 9,000-year-old peach can still taste different flavors, that's worth it!

He ate with gusto, his face full of satisfaction, and his cultivation level was rapidly rising, from the mid-stage of Golden Immortal to the late stage. His spiritual power surged like a river, and his aura grew stronger with each passing moment.

After finishing the peaches from a tree, Jiang Wang patted his stomach, licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, and glanced at the bare peach tree. Suddenly, a wicked idea popped into his head.

He chuckled and muttered, "This tree looks so ugly all bare, it'll give itself away easily. Hey, I need to decorate it up!"

He plucked another hair, blew on it, and the hair transformed into dozens of lifelike, nine-thousand-year-old peaches, their color, shape, and even aroma indistinguishable from real peaches.

He carefully hung the fake peaches back on the tree, stepped back a few paces to look at them, and nodded in satisfaction: "Perfect!"
This tree looks like it hasn't been touched at all! Haha, even a monkey would be dumbfounded!

Jiang Wang became more and more enthusiastic as he worked, enjoying it immensely.

He swept through the trees one by one with practiced skill, eating and hanging fake peaches as he went, muttering to himself, "This fake peach's color is a bit off, I need to adjust the shine... Hmm, this one's aroma isn't strong enough, add some more!"

He was so busy that he spent most of the day picking all the peaches from the 1,200 nine-thousand-year-old peach trees, leaving each tree laden with incredibly realistic-looking peaches.

Jiang Wang stood in the center of the garden, looked around, put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, my skill is simply flawless!"

When Sun Wukong returns and sees this, he'll be completely baffled!

Just then, a familiar shout came from afar: "Hey, what's going on in this garden?"

I, Old Sun, have been looking around, and something feels off.

Sun Wukong emerged from the clouds, holding his golden cudgel, scratching his cheek, and looking around.

Jiang Wang's heart tightened, and he quickly concealed himself behind a peach tree, holding his breath.

Sun Wukong walked up to a nine-thousand-year-old peach tree, squinted at it, and muttered, "Strange, these peaches look pretty good, but why do I feel like something's missing?"

He casually picked a fake peach, brought it to his nose, sniffed it, and frowned, saying, "Hmm?"

The taste is off!

He squeezed it hard, and the fake peach turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished without a trace.

Sun Wukong was stunned, his eyes widened, and he shouted, "You thief!"

"How dare you cause trouble in my old Sun's garden!"

He brandished his golden cudgel, scanned his surroundings, and roared, "Who!"

Who did it!
"Get out here, you old Sun!"

Jiang Wang hid behind a tree, covering his mouth and chuckling to himself, thinking, "Brother Monkey, no matter how powerful you are, you can't tell that all the peaches in this garden are fake, can you?"

He secretly activated the teleportation pass, and in a flash, he disappeared from the Peach Garden, leaving behind only a pile of fake peaches and a bewildered Sun Wukong.

Jiang Wang returned to his cave, sat cross-legged, felt the surging spiritual energy within his body, and grinned: "This is a huge profit!"
His cultivation was approaching the late stage of the Golden Immortal realm, and he even managed to trick the monkey—satisfying!

He closed his eyes and began to refine the spiritual power of the peaches, a smug smile on his lips: "System, didn't I do a great job on this mission?"
"Bring me more of this kind of good work next time!"

The system remained silent for a moment before a cold voice announced: "Mission complete, reward issued."

"Host, please keep up the good work."

Jiang Wang laughed and muttered, "Strive?"
That's a must!
"I haven't had enough of this Journey to the West world yet!" Jiang Wang hung on a high branch of the nine-thousand-year-old peach tree, his hands moving like the wind, swiftly plucking one crystal-clear peach after another.

Each peach exudes a rich spiritual energy, its skin gleaming with a faint golden light, as if it contains the essence of heaven and earth.

His movements were light yet unhurried, fine beads of sweat already forming on his forehead, but his eyes were focused, and he muttered to himself, "One hundred thousand nine-thousand-year-old peaches, enough for me to eat until my next life!"

We can't let anyone find out, we need to be quick!

Inside the Peach Garden, a spiritual atmosphere pervades, and the peach trees are lush and verdant, blocking out the sun.

Jiang Wang had already swept away all the peaches in the Nine Thousand Year Peach Garden, storing all 100,000 peaches into his storage magic treasure, leaving not a single one behind.

At this moment, he was standing in the six-thousand-year-old peach area, reaching out to pick a slightly unripe peach. He took a gentle sniff, and the fragrance of the peach filled the air, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.

He grinned: "These six-thousand-year-old peaches aren't bad either. We've picked half of them, let's keep going!"

With a light tap of his feet, he moved like a ghost among the trees, and with a flick of his fingers, hundreds more peaches fell into his bag.

Meanwhile, in the Jade Pool Wonderland, the Queen Mother of the West sat on a cloud couch, her brows slightly furrowed, and gently tapped her jade ruyi against her palm, producing a crisp sound.

Her gaze was distant, as if she were staring into the endless void, and her tone carried a hint of unease: "Jade Emperor, I have been feeling uneasy lately, and I have a feeling that something is about to happen, which seems to be related to the Peach Garden."

The Jade Emperor sat beside her, toying with a jade slip in his hand. Hearing this, he laughed and said in a relaxed tone, "Queen Mother, you just can't bear to part with those peaches, can you?"
With Sun Wukong, that monkey, watching over the Peach Garden, and heavenly soldiers and generals guarding it, what trouble could possibly arise?
In my opinion, you're overthinking it.

The Queen Mother glanced at him, her tone slightly reproachful: "Jade Emperor, don't underestimate this matter."

The peaches of immortality are nurtured by the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, and are related to the fate of the Heavenly Court. If they are lost, the consequences would be dire.

She paused, as if making a decision, and said, "Very well, I will still send someone to check it out, just in case anything else goes wrong."

The Jade Emperor waved his hand, still unconcerned: "If you're worried, send someone to check it out."

The seven fairies have nothing better to do, so let them make the trip.

The Queen Mother nodded and called out, "Someone, summon the Seventh Fairy Maiden to an audience!"

Before long, the seven fairies arrived gracefully, their colorful robes fluttering, like seven rainbows falling before the Jade Pool.

They bowed in unison, their voices clear and melodious: "Greetings to the Queen Mother of the West, greetings to the Jade Emperor!"

The Queen Mother's expression softened slightly, and she said in a deep voice, "You all must go to the Peach Garden immediately and check the situation there, especially the nine-thousand-year-old peaches. Examine them carefully and do not be negligent."

Report any unusual activity immediately!

The seven fairies responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

They then transformed into seven streaks of light and headed straight for the Peach Garden.

Meanwhile, in the 3,000-year-old peach area of ​​the Peach Garden, Sun Wukong was leaning against a peach tree, playing with his golden cudgel, his face full of impatience.

Several strongmen clad in golden armor stood not far away, their eyes glazed over, never leaving his side.

Sun Wukong glared at them and couldn't help but scold, "What are you bunch of blockheads doing standing here?"

Great Sage, I'm here watching the garden. Do I need you to keep an eye on me?

Get lost!

The strongmen did not react; they remained standing straight, their eyes vacant.

Sun Wukong jumped up in anger, brandishing his golden cudgel and pointing at them, shouting, "Hey!"

Deafness?
Old Sun told you to get lost, didn't you hear me?
"If you don't leave now, believe me, I'll smash your teeth on the ground with this stick!"

Just as the commotion was starting, a clear laugh came from the sky, and the seven fairies arrived together, landing in the peach grove.

The fairy in red, leading the group, looked at Sun Wukong with a smile: "Great Sage, what's wrong?"
"With such a temper, who are you trying to scare with that golden cudgel?"

Upon seeing them, Sun Wukong's imposing aura subsided slightly, and he snorted, "They're just a bunch of wooden warriors!"

Old Sun is perfectly fine here, but they're swarming around me like flies, it's so annoying!
Do you think they're deliberately picking a fight?

The fairy in red covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her voice like a bell: "Great Sage, you may not know this, but these warriors are puppets made by the Heavenly Court. They have no mind and only obey the orders of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother."

Getting angry with them is probably a waste of your energy.

Sun Wukong was taken aback upon hearing this, scratched his head, and muttered, "No senses?"

So Old Sun is just arguing with a pile of wood?

He rolled his eyes and waved his hand, "Forget it, I can't be bothered with them."

What are you all doing in the Peach Garden?

"They're not here to steal peaches, are they?"

The fairy in purple replied, "Great Sage, you jest. We are here on the orders of the Queen Mother to check on the situation in the Peach Garden and pick some peaches to take back with us."

Sun Wukong yawned and said lazily, "Go ahead and check, I'm sleepy and don't have time to pick peaches with you."

"Do as you please!"

After saying that, he plopped down under the tree, closed his eyes to rest, and made it seem like he had no intention of helping.

The seven fairies exchanged glances, but did not insist. They dispersed and headed deeper into the three-thousand-year-old Peach Garden.

The fairy in red walked at the front, carrying a jade basket in her hand, picking jade as she went, her movements light and graceful.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, looked down, and saw a peach lying on the ground with a bite taken out of it, the flesh still bearing clear teeth marks.

She frowned as she picked up the peach, her tone tinged with doubt: "Why is there a bite taken out of this peach?"
It's still lying on the ground, what a waste!

The fairy in green robes came closer, examined it carefully, and exclaimed in surprise, "These are clearly three-thousand-year-old peaches!"

Who's so bold as to steal food and then waste it?

The other fairies also gathered around, discussing the matter animatedly.

The fairy in yellow said in a deep voice, "It must have been that monkey who did it!"

He's here tending the orchard; if the peaches are missing, it must be related to him!

The fairy in red shook her head and calmly said, "Don't rush to conclusions."

Although Sun Wukong is greedy, he wouldn't be so wasteful.

Let's first check the six-thousand-year and nine-thousand-year-old peach areas. If we find anything unusual, we'll return to report to the Queen Mother.

The fairies nodded, put away their jade baskets, and headed towards the six-thousand-year-old peach orchard.

Just as they left, on a peach tree in the Nine Thousand Year Peach Garden, a seemingly ordinary peach swayed slightly and transformed into Jiang Wang's figure. (End of Chapter)